


Camellia Flowers

by whatwhenwhy



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: 1 hour fanfic challenge, Gen, Gender-Neutral My Unit | Byleth, Hanahaki Disease, They/Them Pronouns for My Unit | Byleth, byleth says like one line of dialouge everything else is just insinuating they spoke, i don't say who i'm shipping byleth with so you can imagine anyone, minor blood, my unit | byleth/anyone, no beta we die like Glenn, so i did this as a 1 hour fanfic challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27113780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatwhenwhy/pseuds/whatwhenwhy
Summary: Byleth is coughing up flowers. They decide to ask a few people for help to find out why they're coughing them up. (Written for a One Hour Fanfic Challenge I came up with, view notes for details.)
Kudos: 8





	Camellia Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Rules for the One Hour Fanfic Challenge: Write a complete fanfic within an hour. That’s it. Preferably, come up with your idea within the hour, but if you come up with it beforehand, more power to ya. Spelling mistakes can be fixed after the hour, but other changes aren’t permitted. Have fun!
> 
> If you wanna try this challenge out for yourself, go ahead! It was quite fun and it really motivated me to write and finally post my first AO3 fic. I hope you enjoy the result!

Byleth wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary as per their routine and their day was going as they expected so far. They had taken some papers to Manuela for Seteth, completed a day’s worth of classes with their house, and even had time to spare at the fishing pond. However, their day was thrown off track when they suddenly began coughing up flowers.

It was surprising, to say the least when it happened. They were in their house’s classroom when it happened. They were busy with grading a test they had given the students earlier on proper weapon maintenance, when, suddenly, their throat felt oddly itchy. The pain caused by it was tolerable at first, but then it became quickly unbearable. Of course, their natural reaction was to cough up whatever was causing the pain.

So, they coughed and coughed until there were pink colored petals suddenly on their desk as long as little splattered drops of blood. Byleth stared down at the flowers, stunned by them. How did  _ those  _ come out of their _ body _ ? No one has flowers in their body--unless that was just another abnormality Byleth had thanks to the crest stone that sat in their chest where their heart should be. Byleth sighed, thinking “great, time to add another item to the list of things that make me inhuman.”

Thinking this was an effect of the crest stone, Byleth chose to ignore the petals that now sat on their desk and pushed them aside. They continued to grade the student’s tests without another thought.

***

A day passed, Byleth hadn’t felt the itchy feeling again. Nor had they coughed up more petals. Their routine the next day was, once again, normal. Class went as expected, they ran more errands for Seteth and Lady Rhea, and they spent their free time however they wished. But, yet again, there came a point where Byleth’s throat got abnormally itchy while they were feeding a fish to one of the wild cats at the monastery. They remembered the petal incident from the day before, so they forced themself to coughed.

And, once again, out came the pink-colored petals and another splatter of blood.

Byleth wondered if this was something to be concerned about. After all, they hadn’t begun coughing up petals since yesterday. If they’ve had flowers in their body because of the crest stone, why would they only appear now? And why did it hurt so much to cough them up? It was confusing.

Not to mention, Byleth had no idea what type of flower they were even coughing up. Did the flower have a meaning? Would the meaning be a hint as to why they were coughing up flowers? Byleth suddenly wanted to know.

Byleth thought for a moment as they ran their hand across the cat that had been nibbling on the fresh fish while they coughed up flower petals. It crossed their mind that they could as Dedue about the type of flower it was since Dedue was the one they most often found gardening in the greenhouse. Maybe they ask Linhardt or Hanneman if a crest stone could cause flowers in the body too? After all, they were both knowledgeable of crests.

Maybe if one didn’t know, they could ask the other?

Byleth decided they’d ask tomorrow since it was getting late. So, they took the petals back to their room and pressed them in a book so they could show them to Dedue tomorrow.

***

That night, Byleth woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, coughing wildly.

  
Their throat ached as they hacked up more and more of the flower petals. Each time they coughed the damn things up it hurt  _ more and more.  _ After a minute of agony, they stopped coughing and looked down to find those pink petals, as well as  _ a whole flower _ , sitting on the bedsheets. Byleth picked up the flower, studying it closely.

It definitely wasn’t a flower they recognized. They got up out of their bed and pressed the flower in the same book they had the petals in, deciding to show the full flower to Dedue as well as the petals in the morning. 

They went back to bed, hoping not to be rudely awakened by flowers yet again.

***

In the morning, since they didn’t have class, Byleth went to look for Dedue, flower in hand. They were trying to think of a backstory as to why they have the flower, after all, they really didn’t feel like telling Dedue they were coughing them up.

They decided they were going to tell Dedue that they found them while they were out on a mission a few days ago. That would be believable, right?

Dedue was in the greenhouse when Byleth found them, so they approached him and asked him about the flower. Dedue took it from Byleth, taking a minute to analyze it.

After a few minutes, he looked back at Byleth. “It seems to be a camellia flower,” he spoke. Byleth nodded, hoping Dedue would go on to explain more. Luckily for them, Dedue continued with, “They represent affection. But, the white ones lean more to adoration, while the pink ones, like this one, represent longing. Where did you find this?” Dedue asked. Byleth went on to explain how they found it on a mission

Dedue nodded, “I see. They tend to grow in Fodlan’s forests and such, so that isn’t surprising. Most people like to include them in bouquets, so if you remember where that patch is, you might be able to help someone out who’s looking to make a bouquet.” Byleth nodded again and thanked Dedue for his help.

Next, they wanted to find either Hanneman or Linhardt. They were sure that either one would suffice on giving an answer as to if a crest stone could cause flowers in the body. They were both very knowledgeable on the subject, after all.

Byleth ended up finding Linhardt first, walking across the monastery with a book tucked under his arm. Byleth called out to him and walked up to him after Linhardt paused walking. They told Linhardt they needed his help and proceeded to ask about if crest stones could cause flowers to form in the body. “Why do you need to know that, professor?” was Linhardt’s response.

Byleth should’ve expected this. They hurriedly tried to think of an excuse, after all, they didn’t want to say they were coughing up flowers. So, Byleth said something along the lines of seeing a beast that had a crest stone in it covered in and hacking up flowers while they were in battle with it.

Linhardt believed them and thought for a moment. “Hmm, I’ve never heard of something like that happening, because of a crest stone before, professor. I don’t think professor Hanneman has either,” Linhardt spoke.

Linhardt yawned, “Anyway, professor, if that’s all you needed, I was on my way to take a nap in my room before Caspar can find me to bother me again.” Byleth simply nodded, thanking Linhardt for his help.

As Linhardt walked away, they found themself confused by what Linhardt had said

So, it wasn’t caused by the crest stone?

Then what the hell was going on with their body?

As if on queue, suddenly Byleth felt their throat get itchy and they were hacking up flowers once again. They almost doubled over from the pain this time, blood dribbling from their chin as they coughed into their hand. A few agonizing minutes later, they finally stopped coughing.

In their hand was  _ three whole camellia flowers  _ as well as some stray petals.

Byleth was at a loss of who else they could ask about their situation. And they had little faith in the library having that information since Linhardt probably would’ve brought it up if a reason for hacking up flowers was in the library. After all, when Linhardt wasn’t napping or with Caspar, he was in the library.

Byleth decided to go to the one person they always went to when they had no idea what to do.

***

Byleth opened the door to Jeralt’s office, finding their father inside sat at his desk. Jeralt looked up when Byleth came in, “Oh, hey, kiddo,” Jeralt spoke, “I thought you were Aloys coming to bother me again for a second there.”

Byleth walked up to their father’s desk, the flowers from earlier still in their hands. They gently placed the flowers on Jeralt’s desk. “What are those, flowers?” Jeralt asked, and after a moment he asked, “Byleth, why are they covered in blood?” Byleth hesitated to reply.

“Because I’ve been coughing them up.”

Jeralt stared at Byleth for a moment, “You’re  _ coughing them up _ ?” He repeated. Byleth nodded. Jeralt picked one of the flowers up, not even fazed by the fact they were coated in his child’s blood and saliva.

“I’ve never heard of someone coughing up flowers,” Jeralt muttered, staring at the flowers. Byleth was ready to give up, no one seemed to know nothing about what was happening to them.

Just as Byleth was about to thank their father and leave, Jeralt suddenly spoke up.

“Wait a minute, I think I  _ have  _ heard of this before.”

He looked back up at Byleth, “Now, my memory’s a little fuzzy, but I remember this one guy at the monastery coughing up flowers. I remember because he brought up to your mother, and she brought up to me. I’m not exactly sure why he was coughing up those flowers, but he was.”

Byleth thought for a moment. Someone who had brought it up to their mother? Their mother lived a very sheltered life, they were aware of this. Unless they were remembering wrong, their mother only spoke to Rhea, Jeralt, and Aelfric.

Byleth tried to think of an explanation. If it was Aelfric coughing up flowers as they suspected, what did they and Aelfric have in common?

Byleth couldn’t think of anything.

Then they remembered Dedue said the flowers meant longing when they were pink.

_ Then  _ they remembered that Aelfric was in love with their mother and jealous of Jeralt.

Were the flowers… caused by  _ unrequited love? _

But, Byleth knew nothing about love. Love was a complicated emotion, and Byleth had only just recently started to show emotion. They had no idea who they could be in love with because they didn’t know what love felt like. How were they supposed to know?

“Byleth?”

Right, Byleth was still in Jeralt’s office.

Byleth thanked their father for his help, but before they could leave Jeralt’s office, they started coughing  _ yet again _ .

Jeralt rose from his chair and came to Byleth’s side. After a few moments, BYleth stopped coughing, a new bloody flower in their hands.

“ _Damn,_ you really are coughing up flowers. That can’t be good for you, be careful, Byleth, and it starts to get unbearable, get Manuela.”

Byleth nodded, looking back up at Jeralt. Jeralt smiled down at them, and, with that, Byleth made their leave.

***

Byleth couldn’t get their mind off love for the next few days, still hacking up flowers now and then as the days passed. What did love feel like?

How would they know who they were in love with?

Were they even in love with someone? After all, they could’ve been wrong about this whole flower thing.

What were they to do now? Byleth had no idea.

They wondered if they should go ahead and go to Manuela as Jeralt suggested.

Maybe she could help ease the pain? Or even stop the flowers? Find out what was going on?

Byleth sighed to themself and made their way to Manuela’s office.

After all, the flowers were getting more and more painful each day.

They just wanted this to be over.

Whether they knew who they loved or not.

**Author's Note:**

> So, in the end, I never was able to work in who Byleth had a crush on. I think it was either Seteth or Dimitri, but that's just cause I'm biased towards them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks ahead of time for any kudos and comments, this is the first fic I'm posting on here, and any criticism you have I'm happy to take! If you want to, drop who you thought Byleth liked in the comments. Also, you don't have to tag me if you do end up doing this challenge, but that'd be cool if you did (credit would be appreciated though if you got the idea from me). ANYWAY x2, once again, thanks for reading!!


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